State and Local Laws
Many state and local laws addressing delinquent, non-custodial parents take creative twists. For example, in parts of Virginia and Michigan, law enforcement officials glue a label similar to the following to the windshields of delinquent, non-custodial parents: "THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SEIZED BY (insert name of enforcement official) FOR UNPAID CHILD SUPPORT." (In some cases, the official also is authorized to boot the vehicles with pink and blue "booties.") In addition, Virginia and Massachusetts regularly issue hard copy and Internet versions of "Wanted" posters that broadcast the names and pictures of the state's most delinquent, non-custodial parents.
In Virginia, the Fairfax County car booting policy has been very successful. Fairfax County officials have been booting cars since 1998, and every parent "booted" has since paid child-support arrearages. In fact, the state has recovered more than $400,000 from 75 parents in that county alone. So, in January 2000, Virginia announced that it is going statewide with the booting program in cases where a parent is delinquent by more than $1,000.
Child Support Enforcement Breaks New Records
On June 17, 2000, in his radio address to the nation, President Clinton announced that thanks to cooperative Federal and state efforts, nationwide child support collections in 1999 increased 10 percent reaching a record of nearly $16 billion, double the amount collected in 1992. That means fewer women on welfare, fewer children in poverty, and more families living in dignity.
But, there's still a lot to do to build strong families and supportive communities, and the Federal government has an important role to play. That's why, earlier this year, President Clinton announced additional enforcement initiatives that will collect nearly $2 billion more for children within the next five years. These measures include expanding vehicle booting for child support nationwide, denying passports to deadbeat parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support, barring them from becoming Medicare providers, and off-setting their Social Security benefits to collect past-due support.
At the same time, the Clinton-Gore Administration has proposed streamlining child support rules to ensure that more child support goes directly to families. These proposals will give incentives to states that pass more child support payments directly through to families. Hopefully, this clearer connection between what a non-custodial parent pays and what the family gets will give parents more reason to cooperate with the child support system.
Helping Low-Income Parents
"We make no apologies for using tough measures," says HHS Secretary Donna Shalala. "But, we are also striving to help those parents who can't meet their responsibilities find the means to do so." That's why in his June 17th address, the President directed a number of Federal agencies to develop coordinated, inter-agency guidance to help states and communities identify and use available Federal resources and opportunities for promoting responsible parenthood. In addition, President Clinton's FY 2001 budget proposal includes $255 million for a new "Fathers Work/Families Win" initiative to help non-custodial parents and low-income families retain jobs, upgrade skills, and connect with critical work supports, such as child care, health care, food stamps, housing, and transportation. As President Clinton said on June 17th, "The fact is, many [parents] can't provide financial and emotional support to their children, not because they're deadbeat, but because they're dead-broke."
